The Right Thing
by Cem214
Summary: Shameless Sam/Jake fluff, from Sam's POV. Really pointless one shot.


It's very late, I'm exhausted and a little ill and I make no apologies for this shameless fluff as a result. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Terri Farley, I'm just messing with them.

The Right Thing

"Thanks for the help Jake." I repeated as we reached his beat up truck.

"Anytime," He replied with a shrug looking out towards the pastures. I was about to say something else, keep him there a little longer, but instead he caught me off guard. Swinging round he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to him, his lips meeting mine. It took me a moment to get past my surprise and kiss him back.

When I did, he leaned in closer, backing me against the door, his other hand snaking in to my hair and holding me closer. I sighed softly when he pulled back slightly a few moments later.

"Sorry," He muttered gruffly. "I know we said we weren't going to do this. But I'm done waiting." It was a lot for him to say in one go, but something I'd been waiting for. My heart leapt as I leaned up in to him and met his lips once more.

"Me too." I murmured softly pulling back for a heartbeat to meet his dark eyes, barely visible as darkness descended. We stayed there for a couple of minutes before Jake pulled away again.

"Get in."

I looked at him for a moment, confused, but he didn't add anything. I glanced back at the ranch house once, but climbed in. Dad was away and Gram was a lot less likely to have a problem with me taking off with Jake for a little while.

We sat in silence as Jake made his way out of Riverbend, over the bridge. He'd been over helping me with my math homework, again. He was just back from college for the weekend to check on Witch because she'd been seriously lame for a little while, but I'd needed the help and roped him in to it. I'd walked out with him to drag out the time with him. I'd been enjoying his company too much to let him just leave. He apparently felt the same way.

We made our way to the highway and then Jake pulled off, working his way over the bumpy ground until we were out of sight of the highway before stopping. He climbed out of the pick up and I followed, sliding over the drivers seat. He took my hand and helped me to the ground, barely pausing to close the door before taking me in his arms again, his mouth meeting mine hungrily. My back pressed against the cold metal, but I didn't feel it. Jake was keeping the cold at bay just fine. After a few minutes the urgency in our kisses melted away and Jake's tight grip on me relaxed. His kisses became soft as his hands slid feather light over my back, up my sides and over my arms.

I moaned softly in to his mouth as I slid my fingers through his long silky hair, his fingers dancing across the back of my neck, tickling the tiny hairs there. I felt him smile slightly as he eased away from me, hands sliding to rest on my waist. I smiled up at him, just making out the edges of his handsome features in the moonlight. I interlocked my fingers at the back of his neck, enjoying the rare closeness with him.

"So, we're done waiting?" I asked softly a moment later, dropping my gaze almost shyly. We'd shared one kiss almost two years ago, just a short while before Jake had been due to leave for his freshman year at college. But we'd both realised that with him leaving, being together might not be the best idea. Things would change with him gone, as much as I'd wished they wouldn't, and we didn't want to screw up our friendship by trying to make the relationship work with him gone so much straight away. So we'd decided to wait. See what happened. Every time he'd been back we seemed to get closer. We'd talk, well, more me than him, but it was comfortable. We'd usually, some how, end up spending some time alone together, being able to catch up without any chance of being seen together, just generally enjoying each others company.

But we'd been right. Things did change with him gone, but it seemed to work for the better. Jake had come out of himself a bit, not quite so shy or quiet as he'd once been. And I'd grown up. I'd kind of found myself a bit more. I could kind of climb out of Jakes' shadow and be me. I'd gained a lot of confidence and knowledge in the process. Become happy with who I am and what I want in life. But when it came to Jake, I wasn't so confident. I mean, I'd been pretty sure this would happen, sooner or later, but at the same time, I didn't want to jinx it by being completely sure it would. I couldn't help thinking whenever he left that maybe the next time he came back, he'd really have changed and he'd change his mind about me. But he hadn't. We'd just gotten closer.

Gently he cupped my chin with one hand and tilted my head up to meet his gaze again. "Yeah." Even in the dark I could read his sudden tension and awkwardness. "I…" He shook his head slightly, trying to find the words. "I loved you before, but," He hesitated again, his serious dislike of talking about personal stuff getting the better of him. I waited, knowing he'd get it out eventually. When it mattered, he'd talk, and apparently, this was one of those times. "I'm glad we waited." He met my eyes again and I struggled to remain where I was, wanting so badly to lean in and kiss him again in that moment, looking so vulnerable and out of his depth, because he wanted me to be sure how much he cared. "I love you." He said finally.

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. "I love you too." I replied softly. "I'm glad we waited too." I looked away for a moment, trying to find the words myself to explain it. "I'm not sure we could have made this work any other way. I love how our friendships been able to change with the time apart. It's like, it's grown up too, you know?" I wrinkled my nose as I frowned up at him, knowing I wasn't making a whole lot of sense. He smiled and kissed my lightly.

"Yeah. I do. We're not kids now. I want this to last. And I think now it can." He added softly, an edge of discomfort still there, but his need for me to know he understood was stronger.

"Me too. That's what it is. It's what I've always wanted. For this to be serious with us, not some messed up attempt at a relationship cause we spent so much time together, but a real relationship. But two years ago, we weren't able to have that. We needed the time apart. Me being in San Francisco didn't count," I said with a smile. "We needed to be our own people for this to work, and we are now." I paused for a moment. "That said, what the heck took you so long?" I said mock seriously, pulling my arms away from him and crossing them over my chest. "Why didn't you kiss me when you were home this winter? We were ready for it then too!"

He didn't react, just raised one eyebrow at me and looked at me. I didn't need to see his face clearly to know the expression, the one that said 'you're being an idiot and we both know it'. I cracked. My frown gave way to a smile as I slid my arms around him again and rested my head against his chest. "No, perfect timing. I've loved spending the past couple days with you again. I wish you could stay longer though." I added wistfully.

Jake stayed silent but he gently squeezed me for a moment, telling me he felt the same. We'd been together almost constantly since he'd gotten home, not often talking, cause we knew each other well enough we didn't have to a whole lot. But from the moment he'd come home this time I knew something was a little different. Just the way we'd teased each other when I'd run in to him outside Clara's dinner had been enough to show me he was thinking of me that way.

I pulled away from Jake for a moment, catching a flash of white in the darkness. I squinted towards the rough landscape where I'd seen it. There. I smiled as Phantom ducked out of hiding and stood in the moonlight, watching us. Jake moved behind me as I turned full on to the stallion and slid his arms around my waist, keeping me close. Cautiously the wild stallion took a couple steps towards us, but no more. Another thing that had changed. The stallion hadn't come to my side in a year. A part of me missed it, but the rest of me simply knew it was right. He shouldn't have that kind of bond with a human when he was wild. He would always be my horse, but he didn't belong to me now. Before, I'd encouraged his trust in me, wanting him to come closer, forcing my presence on him. But now I was content to watch, knowing he was safe and well was enough. I treasured the moments like this though. When I could watch him and know he knew me, the girl who'd raised him. He stood there only a few short minutes before spinning on his heels and disappearing once more in to the night.

I sighed happily as I leaned back against Jake. "Come on. I should get you back." He said finally, making no move to go.

I laughed softly, turning in his arms, "Yeah, okay." I met his gaze for a moment before he leaned down and kissed me once more. This was home. This was how we were meant to be. We didn't stay much longer, Jake dropped me at home with a soft goodbye kiss, promising he'd be home again before long. And making me promise not to let Witch get hurt again. I laughed and smacked his arm, accusing him of loving his mare more than me. He scoffed at me, turning away embarrassed. Guess he wasn't getting over his shyness completely any time soon. I waved him off and headed for the house sighing happily. I'd miss him for the next month or so before he'd be home again, but I knew it would be okay.

I'd be leaving for college myself in the fall, and I wouldn't be going where Jake was. But despite all the unknowns, I felt really good. I trusted him. And he trusted me. We were capable of being our own people, together, and somehow with the distance we'd make it work. As I crawled in to bed a little while later my phone buzzed on my dresser. I reached out and picked it up, wondering who would be texting me this late.

_You. I love you more._

I smiled, my heart jumping. He may not be capable of saying it to my face, but he could still say it. It had taken us being apart again to really get over the accident, to get to where we were now, but together would be how we ended up. Together was how we belonged. Strange what it takes sometimes, to make the right thing work.


End file.
